Harris, Thurl E
Primary Appointment
Professor and Director of Graduate Studies, Pharmacology
Education
- PhD, Cell & Molecular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine
Contact Information
PO Box 800735
1340 Jefferson Park Ave., Pinn Hall, Room 5221B
Charlottesville, VA 22908
Telephone: 434-924-1584
Fax: 434-982-3878
Email: teh3c@virginia.edu
Website: https://pharm.virginia.edu/harris/
Research Disciplines
Biochemistry, Biology, Biotechnology, Cancer Biology, Cardiovascular Biology, Epigenetics, Kinesiology, Metabolism, Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Molecular Biology, Molecular Pharmacology, Physiology, Translational Science
Research Interests
Molecular mechanisms controlling insulin signaling and fat synthesis.
Research Description
As Paleolithic hunter gatherers, the human diet was relatively low in fats and simple carbohydrates. Technological advances, beginning with the agricultural revolution 12,000 years ago and culminating with the mechanization of food production in the last century, have provided a significant portion of the world’s population with access to inexpensive, energy-dense food. In the modern age the ready availability of carbohydrates and fats, combined with a large reduction in physical labor, has led to a predictable rise in obesity. The Center for Disease Control estimates currently ~34% of the U.S. population is characterized as overweight (B.M.I. of 25-30), and another 40% are obese (B.M.I.>30), giving an astonishing 3 out 4 Americans defined as overweight or obese. As an underlying risk factor for type II diabetes and cardiovascular disease, understanding how obesity promotes the development of these diseases is of extreme importance for worldwide health. As part of the Department of Pharmacology, the Harris Lab uses animal models to study how obesity promotes insulin resistance. At a basic level, we are interested in how adipose tissue responds to anabolic (insulin) and catabolic (catecholamines) hormones to regulate adiposity and whole body metabolic homeostasis. We use genetic models and pharmacological tools to evaluate adipose function in mice. We are also interested in the molecular mechanisms regulating insulin and counterregulatory hormone signaling in adipocytes, with special interest in the mammalian Target of Rapamycin (mTOR) and downstream effectors such as the Mast kinase family. This work also includes biochemical studies on enzymes that regulate lipid synthesis and breakdown, with a particular interest in the lipin family (phosphatidic acid phosphatases), and the diacylglycerol kinase family of enzymes